Plier-type cutters are often used in orthodontics to cut stainless steel, titanium alloy or other orthodontic metal ligatures and similar appliances. These orthodontic cutters typically include a pair of plier halves, with each plier half having a handle, a pivot section, and a cutting jaw. The two plier halves are pivotally connected at their pivot sections such that relative movement of the handles will cause relative movement of the jaws. Heretofore, one form of these cutters employed cutting edge inserts made of carbide or tool steel which were blazed or otherwise secured to the cutting jaws, with the balance of the cutting jaws and the associated handle being made of stainless steel, typically 17-4. Such cutting edge inserts were used because known stainless steel compositions were not as suitable for use as cutting edges of orthodontic cutters. The cutting edges of prior cutters, which did not use inserts, were made with stainless steel plier halves of one piece construction and were prone to fracture in use or loss of their edge in a relatively short time. On the other hand, cutters with cutting edges formed on carbide or tool steel inserts typically maintained their edge without fracturing.
In the orthodontic field, as in other medical fields, it is important to maintain clean and sterile instruments. Orthodontic cutters are typically cleaned or sterilized with high temperature steam after every use. The cleaning and sterilizing procedures, and even the orthodontic procedures in which they are used, often subject the cutters to corrosive environments. While carbide and tool steel cutting edge inserts enable the cutter to hold its cutting edge without fracturing, they are not as corrosion resistant as the remaining stainless steel portion of the cutter. Thus, the known carbide and tool steel inserts had a tendency to corrode after only limited use, requiring costly re-work or replacement. Another disadvantage with known orthodontic cutters using cutting edge inserts is the relatively high cost of manufacturing the inserts and the mounting thereof to the cutter jaws.